More Hillsborough classrooms to offer real-time AI translations

As schools look for ways to bring artificial intelligence into classrooms, leaders in Hillsborough County are wondering if it could be a tool in helping translate languages in real time.

 Currently, 75% of classrooms have the technology for students to wear headsets that translate what they hear into one of 170 different languages and show it written out on a tablet.

 At a school board meeting this week, board members voted for the remaining classrooms to be outfitted with those capabilities starting next fall.

 The bulk of the project will be funded through Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds, the federal funds given to address learning loss during COVID.

 Chris Farkas, deputy superintendent of operations, said that at MacFarlane Park Elementary School, where many students are bilingual, they were fascinated by the tool.

 “It was such an amazing thing to see these kids’ eyes light up,” he said.

 He said he thought it could have even greater use in schools in Ruskin and Wimauma, where students are learning English.

 The next phase of the project, Farkas said, will be to get instructors comfortable using the technology.

 Board member Lynn Gray said she looked forward to seeing data on how this might improve learning outcomes for English language learners.

 “It’s how the students feel within the classroom,” she said. “The confidence. They’re part of the operation. They’re not going to be like, ‘Oh, I can’t understand,’ trying to play catch up, being nervous.”

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